Bottle-washing apparatus.



- W. LE BROCQ. BOTTLE WAS HING APPARATUS.

- 1 APPLICATION FILED APR. 30,1910. 1,179,195.

I. a. I W n hm m e m n n A H v w P HN w. LE sauce.

BOTTLE WASHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR-30,1910- Pa-tnted Apr. 11, 1916.

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WILLIAM LE BROCQ, OF NEW Y0 it N. Y., essrenon or ONE-HALF T0 WILLIAM G.

FREER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BOTTLE-WASHING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 11, 1916.

Application filed A r l so, 1919, serial No. 558,660.

To all whom it may concern Be it known. that I, WILLIAM LE BRoo of thecity of New York, State of New York,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bottle-WashingApparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention contemplates improvements in bottle washing apparatus andits object is to provide automatic mechanism pref erably operated byhydraulic pressure, the entire action of which will be caused by thepressure of the motive fluid without necessitating any handling ormanualoperation, save that of placing upon suitable guides the casescontaining bottles to be washed and subsequently removing them, thecases being advanced in successive stages for the action of a pluralityof cleaners entirely by the pressure of the motive fluid.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly invertical section, showing a bottle washing apparatus constructed inaccordance with my invention. Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are detail viewsillustrating the brushes and the means for rotatin the latter and alsothe means for contro ling the fluid supply to the spindles andbrushes.Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating a specific valvemechanism hereinafter referred to.

Referring to the drawings 1 deslgnates a pressure tank adaptedto containwater or other motive fluid supplied under pressure from a pump 2.Through a pipe 3 the water is conducted to the apparatus and I haveshown the latter inclosed within a basin 4 through the bottom of whichextends the branches from pipe 3. One of these branches 5 extends to aturbine 6 mounted on a shaft 7 carrying a pinion 8 which engages a gearwheel 9 mounted on a shaft 10. This gear wheel carries a cam surface/12adapted to engage a bell crank lever 13 mounted upon a bracket- 14 on acylinder 15 in the bottom of the basin. A plate spring 16 acts upon thevertical arm of the lever 13 and the gear wheel 9 rotates in thedirection of the dart. The, horizontal arm of the lever is secured to a'piston rod 17 whose balanced piston 17 is movable within the cylinder15, the latter having an open bottom 15, inlet port 18 in communicationwith pipe 3 and ports 19 and 20, port 19 leading to a cylinder 21 andport I 20 belng in communication with cylinder 22.

When the parts described are in the osition illustrated, that is withpiston 1 the bottom of cylinder 15, ports 18, 19 and 2( are uncoveredand the water passes from pipe 3 into the cylinder 15 and thence tocylinders 21 and 22. When however, the cam 12 on the gear wheel 9contactswith lever 13 the latter will be swung on its pivot and elevatethe piston 17 above ports 19 and 20, allowing the water within cylinders21 and 22 to pass through ports 19 and 20 and out of'the. open bottom ofcylinder 15 into the basin.

The cylinder 21 contains a plunger 23 on which is mounted a spindlehead24;. This head is hollow and carries the spindles 25 1n communicationwith the head, and of the usual or any preferred'construction, such astubes suitably perforated to eject streams of cleaning water. Thecleaning water isv supplied to the spindle head 24: through a p1pe 26having a flexiblejoint 27 and valve mechanism in the latter. By thismeans water is only sup lied to the spindle head when the latter is inits uppermost osition, that is, when the spindles project lnto thebottles to be cleaned.- The movement of the splndle head in loweringcuts off the supply of water. These features will be further describedin detail. The pipe 26 may communicate with the main supply 3 by abranch 28.

The cylinder 22 contains a plunger 29 on which is-also mounted a hollowhead 30. Instead of the spindles carried by the head 24, the head '30carries a plurality of rotating brushes 31. As illustrated v in Fig. '2these brushesare'each mounted upon a hollow spindle or shaft 32. Theshafts 32 rotate and the centrifugal force causes the brushes to bearoutward and in contact with the surface of the bo'ttle.' Springs 33connected to the shaft and the brushes retract 100 the brushes when theshafts stop rotating. Brushes 34 carried at the upper extremity -of theshaft, are adapted to the cleaning of the bottom of the bottle. Thepositions of. the brushes when, out of operation are inca'ring 36carried upon the hollow head '30 110 and in communication with thelatter. Each of the casings 36 is formed with ports 37 through which'thewater passes and impinges upon the blades or vanes 38 of the turbine,causing the latter to rotate and carry with it the shaft and thebrushes. I have illustrated the turbine keyed to the shaft and thelatter extended through the top of the casing 36. The shaft is hollowthroughout its length so as to conduct the cleaning water into thebottles.

The heads 24 and 30 are supplied with water by a pipe 26. In Fig. 3 Ihave shown the flexible connection 27. Arm A is shown connected to arm Bby a knuckle jointhaV- ing ports which are in alinement when the armsare in the position shown in full lines. In this position water passesfrom pipe 26 through the arms A and B to the heads 24 and 30. When,however, these heads lower by reason of the water passing out from theirrespective cylinders, then the arms A and'B will be caused to assume theposition indicated in dotted lines. This'will close the passage betweenarms A and B and cut off the supply of cleaning water.

At 40, Fig. 1, I have shown the mechanism by which the bottle cases areadvanced for action by the spindles and brushes. This comprises acylinder 41 in communication with pipe 3 by a branch 42. A port 43 inthis cylinder leads to one end of a cylinder 44 and a port 45communicates with the opposite end of the cylinder 44. I have shown twopistons 46 within cylinder 41 and mounted upon a single piston rod 47.Outside of the cylinder the rod is secured to a lever 48 fulcrumedon abracket 49. mounted upon the cylinder. The piston rod 47 passes througha bearing 47 secured to the basin 4. A spring 47 is coiled on the rodbetween the bearingand a collar keyed upon the rod. The link 50 isfulcrumed to lever 48 and to a bell crank lever 51 on a bracket 52mounted on the cylinder 21. The arm 53 of lever 51 lies in the path ofmovement of the hollow head 24 and when the latter lowers and contactswith this arm, levers 51 and 48 are shifted, moving the pistons 46 tothe positions indicated indotted lines. This compresses spring 47. Inits upward movement, the head 24 releases arm 53 and the expansion ofspring 47 returns the levers and pistons to the positions shown in fulllines,

In cylinder 44 I have shown a piston 54 whose rod carries at its outerend a slide 55 movable on tracks 56 extending across the basin 4. Thesetracks are of such size and relative disposition as to accommodate thecases 57 in which the bottles 58 are carried in an inverted position.

Assuming that the pistons 46 are in the positions indicated in fulllines, the Water passes through branch 42, cylinder 41 and port 43 tothe right'hand end of cylinder 44 forcing the piston 54 and the slide 55to the positions illustrated. When the head 24 lowers and, throughcontact with arm 53,

the only manual operation necessary is to place the cases upon thetracks. All of the subsequent operations of advancing the cases tosubject the bottles successively to the action of the spindles and thebrushes, as well as the means for raising and lowering the hollow headscarrying the spindles and brushes, are essentially automatic and areaccomplished solely by the head or pressure under which the motive fluidis maintained.

I have illustrated only one set of spindles and one set of brushes, butobviously either or both of these may be increased and the specificapparatus shown may be varied without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

I claim as my invention 1. In an automatic bottle washing apparatus, acylinder, a piston movable vertically therein, a spindle head carried bysaid piston, means for supplying a motive fluid under pressure, meansfor intermittently admitting fluid into the cylinder to raise the pistonand the head, and to subsequently permit the piston and head to lower,fluid operated means for advancing bottles into operative relation tosaid head, and means for automatically. setting said bottle advancingmeans into motion by and upon the lowering of the head.

2. In an automatic bottle washing apparatus, a'cylinder, a pistonmovable vertically therein, a spindle head carried by said piston, meansfor supplying a motive fluid under pressure to said cylinder, means forintermittently admitting said fluid to the cylinder to raise the pistonand to subsequently permit it to lower, another cylinder, a pistonmovable in said last named cylinder, valve mechanism controlling themove mentof the last named piston in said cylinder, a communicationbetween said valve mechanism and the motive fluid supply. a memberoperable by the movement of the second named piston to advance thebottles into operative relation to .the spindle head, and means operableby and upon the lowering of the spindle head for actuating the valvemechanism in a direction to actuate the bottle advancing member.

3. In an automatic bottle washing apparatus, a cylinder, a pistonmovable vertibines also carried by said last named head 1 of saidpistons and heads for advancing the i cally therein, a spindle headcarried by said piston, means for supplying a motive fluid underpressure, means for intermittingly admitting said fluid into saidcylinder to raise the piston and subsequently permit it to lower, ahorizontally disposed cylinder, a piston movable therein, a bottleadvancing member operatively connected to said secondnamed piston, avalve mechanism operatively connected to said second named cylinder andadapted to control the movements of the'piston in said cylinder, meanstending to. actuate said valve mechanism in one direction to admit thesaid fluid" into said second named cylinder whereby to retract thebottle advancing member, and means operable by and upon the lowering ofthe head, and means operable by and upon the lowering of the spindlehead for establishing communication between said bottle ad-' vancingmeans and the motive fluid supply, ,to actuate said bottle advancingmeans.

5. In an automatic bottle washing apparatus, cylinders, pistons movablevertically therein, heads carried by said pistons, spray spindlescarried by one of said heads, revoluble brushes carried by theotherhead, turand arranged to operate said brushes when fluid isadmitted to said head, means for supplying motive fluid under pressureto v said cylinders, valve mechanism controlling the communicationbetween said cylinders and the motive fluid supply,mleans for intermittingly opening, communication from the'motive fluid supply to saidcylinders to raise said pistons and to subsequently permit them tolower, and motive fluid means operable by and. upon the lowering of onebottles into operative relation to the spray spindles and brushes. 7 6.ln an automatic bottle washing apparatus, cylinders, pistons movablevertically therein, heads carried by said pistons, spray spindlescarried by one of said heads, rev oluble brushes carried by the otherhead, turbines also carried by said last named head and arranged tooperate said brushes when fluid is admitted to said head, means forsupplying a motive fluid under pressure to said cylinders, valvemechanism common to both of said cylinders, means for intermittinglyactuating said valve mechanism whereby the motive fluid will be admittedfrom the supply to said cylinders to raise said pistons and heads and tosubsequently permit them to lower, and motive fluid means operable byand upon the lowering of one" of said heads for advancing the bottlesinto operative relation to the spindles and brushes.

,7. In an automatic bottle washing apparatus, a cylinder,-a,pistonmovable vertically therein, a head carried by the piston, means forsupplying a motive fluid under pressure, communications between thecylinder and the motive fluid supply and between the head and the motivefluid supply, means for intermittingly opening the. communicationbetween the motivefluid supply and the cylinder to raise the piston andhead and to subsequently permit it to lower, and an automatic valve inthe communication between the head and motive fluid supply whereby uponthe lowering of the'head said last named communication will be closed.

8. An automatic bottle washingapparatus, comprising a basin, a cylindermounted therein, a piston movable vertically in said cylinder, a headcarried by said piston for the purpose specified, means for supplyingmotive fluid under pressure, valve mechanism mounted in said basin, andarranged to intermittingly admit motive fluid from said supply to thecylinderbelow the piston 100 and to discharge the fluid fromthe-cylinder into the basin whereby the piston will be alternativelyraised and lowered, another cylinder mounted in said basin, a pistonmountedtherein, valve mechanism controlling the said last named piston,and communicating with the motive fluid system, a track extending acrossthe basin, a bottle advancing member mounted in said track and adaptedin its operative travel to move the bottles into operative relation tosaid head, and means operable by and upon the lowering of the head forautomatically actuating the valve mechanism whereby the motive fluidwill be admitted into the second named cylinder in a manner to actagainst said second named piston, and operatively move the bottleadvancing member.

9. In an automatic bottle Washing apparatus, a motive fluid supply, acylinder hav- 12 0 ing a piston and spindle head carried by said piston,a second cylinder also having a piston and carrying aseries ofturbines,brushes carried by said turblnes, means for admitting a motive fluid tosaid spindle head and to said turbines,'and means for raising andlowering said pistons, comprising a'valve mechanism controlling theadmission and exhaust of motive fluid toand from said cylinders, and amechanical device for controlling said mechanism oper- In testimonywhereof, I have signed this ated by the motive fluid, and asecond valvespecification in the presence of two subscrib- 1 mechanism and devicesoperated thereby for ing itnesses.

, successively advancim a plurality of series of bottles into operativerelation with said WILLIAM LE I spindles and brushes, said lattervalve'mech- Witnesses: 3 anism being actuated by the movement of GRAFTONL. MCGILL,

said spindle head. CHAS. H. TOPPTNG.

